This is my first fanfic and first story published on the internet, though I have written other stuff, most of which has so far remained for my eyes only. Lots of Waige, some Quintis. This will be multi-chapter. Though I only have 1-2 more chapters of storyline planned out, I will continue on this story as long as people want me to and as long as I can come up with quality plot. So... Enjoy!

Paige had planned the perfect campout on the rooftop. She thought the team could use a night for fun. She had set up tents, a campfire, s'mores, drinks, and music. She announced her plans that afternoon. She left to pick up Ralf from school and leave him with a sitter, and Walter had gone upstairs to his room.

Toby excitedly called to the others, "I've got the best plan, way better than Paige's."

Happy just rolled her eyes, "Do you need to prove yourself superior in everything?"

"Yes. But that's not what I meant."

Happy raised her eyebrow skeptically, "Whatever, Doc."

Toby waved her off and continued, "Alright, I'll be the first to mention the elephant in the room: we're all rooting for Paige and Walter, right?"

The others looked at each other and hesitated before nodding.

"Good. So, what if we all bailed out of this campfire thing last minute?"

Happy smirked, "Are you suggesting we set them up?"

"Yep, pretty much ya."

Sly cut in, "I don't know, I don't feel comfortable interfering."

Toby turned to him, "At this rate, we'll be old and gray by the time they get together. They just need a little... push in the right direction."

Sly was tempted, but still on the fence, "I don't know..."

Happy shrugged, "I'm in."

Toby glanced at her, wondering if he could convince her into their own... Outing. He turned back to Sly and said in a singsong voice, "C'mon, you don't wanna ruin a romantic campout for our friends, do you?"

Sly hesitated before sighing, "Okay."

Toby replied, "That's the spirit! Now, let's work on our alibis. I say that me and Happy go to a reopening of a restaurant, and-"

Happy cocked an eyebrow and interrupted him, "This is hypothetical, right?"

Toby shrugged, "Well it was supposed to be, but now that you mention it, I do know of a reopening of Zebra Cafe, and our alibi would be airtight if it weren't a lie."

Happy just sighed, shook her head, and went back to her pet project, "You're an idiot."

Toby smirked, knowing that was her way of accepting his offer, "I know."

Sly asked, "What about me?"

Toby turned back to him and shrugged, "Say whatever you want."

After a lull in the conversation, Sly spoke up again, becoming excited about the prospect of setting up their friends, and exclaimed, "We can call it Operation Waige." Happy and Toby looked at him question ioningly. He explained, "You know, Walter and Paige, Waige."

Happy replied with a nod of approval, "That works."

"Operation Waige," Toby said, "I like the sound of that.

Paige was on the rooftop, doing some last minute preparations. She looked at her watch: the team should be showing up soon. Her phone buzzed; it was Sly. 'There's a surprise signing of Super Fun Guy comics in the area. Sorry I can't make it, the four of you have fun!' Just as she finished reading the text, she heard someone coming through the door. She looked up and smiled at Walter. "Hey!"

Walter nodded at her, "Hey."

"Sly's not coming, I guess he has a comic book thing, so it'll just be the four of us," she informed him.

"Uh, actually make that just the two of us. Happy and Toby just told me they're going to the reopening of some restaurant. They seemed pretty excited about it."

"Oh. Okay," Paige replied, slightly disappointed.

Walter picked up on it and suggested, "Look, if you wanna reschedule this thing for when everyone is available..."

Paige shook her head, "No, no it's fine, we can still have fun." She grabbed a bottle of wine and two glasses, and began to pour when Walter said, "Oh, no thanks."

Paige turned to him, "I know you don't normally drink, but this night is about taking a break. It'll help you relax."

He looked at her about to insist on not drinking, but somehow couldn't resist surrendering to her hopeful stare, and nodded.

"Good," she said. He sat down by the fire Paige had lit while she poured the wine. He felt suspicious that his friends all had spontaneous plans on the same night, but he decided to brush it off as his overactive brain trying to find patterns where there were none. There was no reason for them to lie about their plans. Paige interrupted his thoughts, handing him a glass. They sat in comfortable silence for a while, sipping wine. Looking into the stars, he asked quietly, "Do you ever think about what it would be like to travel into space? To feel weightless, to have no sense of up or down, to see the earth as one unit. No boundaries, no enemies, just... Humanity."

Paige stared at him, mildly surprised at the emotion he was so openly displaying. She knew it must be the alcohol, but she didn't really care. "Ya, it seems pretty easy to get lost in our own quarrels down here. We tend to forget we still share the same tiny planet."

Walter nodded, murmuring in agreement. After a moment, Walter said, "Megan liked the stars."

Paige snapped her gaze to him. He rarely spoke about his sister since she passed. Aside from that therapeutic night of storytelling and his breakdown over almost losing the ferret, he still shut out every conversation about Megan. She knew he was hurting, and she wanted to help. But she also knew Walter, and he would never open up before he's ready. She knew she could do nothing but be a friend and let him grieve on his own terms.

Now, he was voluntarily reminiscing. She thought at first it was the alcohol talking as well, but while it probably helped, he had only had one glass. That's not enough alone to get him to talk about Megan.

"She gave me her book of constellations to memorize when I was three," he smiled, but it faded as he continued, "When she was sick she said she was sad she would never see the stars again." His face contorted into a look of grief. She knew he was trying to hide what he felt, but his eyes said it all.

She reached down to take his hand in hers. As she did tension released from his shoulders and face. He seemed to simultaneously calm down and allow his exterior to crumble. Tears formed in his eyes, and suddenly she didn't care about professional boundaries. She threw her arms around him, holding him close. She felt his silent sobs shake her, and she began to cry herself. She eventually felt him lift his hands onto the small of her back and bring her closer to him.

After the crying subsided, he pulled back slightly, wiping the tears from his eyes. "Sorry, I... I don't know what came over me." She gave him a hand squeeze and an encouraging smile. He tried to return it, but the gesture didn't reach his eyes. She wanted to cheer him up, but didn't know what she could do.

The music playing in the background began Don't Go Breaking My Heart. Remembering their performance to distract a dictator, and how Walter seemed to actually have fun with it once he relaxed, she smiled as she took his hand and stood. "What?" He asked as she pulled him to his feet and led him to the speakers and turned it up. She turned back to him with a mischievous look. He knew what she was doing now, and began shaking his head, "No, no I don't dance, remember?"

She rolled her eyes and told him, "Oh, come on. Live a little!" Before he could respond she swung him into an open area and began to dance with his hands in hers.

He laughed and shook his head, "I can't believe I let you rope me into stuff like this."

"Shut up and dance!"

He laughed again and complied. She was right, once he relaxed he was having fun. They danced and sang in perfect harmony throughout the song until it was over. He gave her a small, appreciative smile. He could guess her intention with that dance, and though he was reluctant to admit it, it worked. She always seemed to know what he needed, and that was one of the many reasons he l-. He stopped his thoughts abruptly, chastising himself for allowing himself to go there.

Instead he just conveyed his silent thanks with a nod, and began to turn back to the fire. But she wasn't ready to stop, especially when she heard the next song, one of her favorites. She kept a firm hold on his hand as he tried to walk away, and he turned around questioningly. She smiled as she tugged him toward her, holding their arms to the side. At the same time she placed her left hand on his shoulder. "What-" He tried to ask, but his breath hitched.

She had to take a steadying breath herself, beginning to wonder if this was such a good idea. "I like this song." She answered his unfinished question as innocently as she could. He stared at her for a second, then looked away, visibly swallowed, placed his hand on her waist, and began to sway with her. She felt gravitated toward him, and despite her efforts to keep a distance which could be interpreted as friendly, she found herself inching closer. By the time the second chorus rang out, oh, you're in my veins, and I cannot get you out, she realized her ear was brushing his chest. She didn't know how long they had been this close, but she relaxed her neck and rested her head on him.

Oh, you're all I taste, at night inside of my mouth.

She felt his hand slide from her waist to hug the small of her back. She moved her hand from his shoulder to wrap it around the back of his neck.

Oh, you run away, 'cause I am not what you found.

She closed her eyes, breathing in deep, savoring his familiar and all too comforting scent. He touched his jaw to the top of her head, inhaling the sweet aroma of her peach shampoo.

Oh, you're in my veins, and I cannot get you out.

She let the tension dissolve from herself, and became lost in the strum of the music, and the swaying of their dance, and Walter's heartbeat under her ear, and his hand pressing her stomach to him. When the song ended, they barely registered the silence.

When Walter froze and tensed, she came to her senses; she realized they were just standing in an embrace. She took in a sharp breath, and took a small quick step back as if she had been stung. She looked at Walter, and he looked as confused and uncomfortable as she felt. She realized she was holding her breath, and let it out.

Paige had to say something to smooth out this situation; she knew Walter couldn't do it himself. She gave him a weak smile, and gave a single nod, "T-Thanks for the dance," she stuttered, wondering when she became as flustered at physical contact as Walter. She was supposed to be the composed one in that area, but now she struggled to keep her hands from shaking and her breathing under control. Walter took his cue from her and returned the smile and nod. She cleared her throat, "The fire... It's in coals now, uh, you want s'mores?" Walter, still uneasy and sensing she was too, gave another awkward nod.

They sat on the ground covered in blankets and roasted marshmallows in silence, each leaving a lot unsaid.

After Walter had finished his first s'more, he stood up and announced, "Uhm, it's getting late, I think I'll-" he stopped as he pointed at the door.

Paige was shaking her head, "Only one s'more? C'mon! Besides, it's really nice out here, we should sleep under the stars."

He looked at her, sighing. While the marshmallow-roasting had given Paige time to calm herself, he was feeling increasingly awkward as the night went on, disoriented by their dance. All he wanted was to run out of there. But looking down at her pleading eyes and wide smile, he nodded and stepped toward her before he even made the decision consciously. That scared him a bit; he always considered all options and their consequences, and chose the most logical one. But with Paige, it was as if his logic was muffled by something else, something he couldn't think through and make logical sense of. He knew what that something was, but he didn't want to admit it. He pushed away the tiny voice in his head speaking the truth, and sat back down next to Paige.

"More wine?" She asked. He nodded, hoping it would squelch his discomfort around her. He ate one more s'more, then laid down next to Paige, their arms inches apart, and looked up at the stars.

Remembering their earlier conversation, he sighed, glad of Paige's presence. "You know I don't believe in that stuff, but uh, if there's an afterlife, I hope Megan is up there."

She turned her head to study his face as he studied the stars. She wondered what had gotten into him - this was the second time he willfully divulged information about his sister in one night. She looked back at the sky as she placed her hand over his, "She's already there, Walter," reminding him of her ashes sent up to space by his rocket. He closed his fingers around hers, and she softly stroked the back of his hand with her thumb.

She closed her eyes, falling asleep, while he remained awake staring at the sky. After a few moments, she felt his fingers shift, and realized he was interlacing his fingers with hers. Her eyes fluttered open, and her heart thumped in her ears. She was shocked Walter would initiate something like that. She tentatively glanced at him, and saw he was still staring at the sky. When he sensed her looking at him, he turned his head and smiled at her.

Their faces were just inches apart now, and she found her eyes roaming his face. His eyes widened and his mouth parted as he realized what thoughts were going through her head. He felt terrified, wanting to run away as fast as he could, but he couldn't help the thoughts from entering his mind as well, and he couldn't help admitting how enticing they were.

After a few moments, Paige tore her gaze from him, cleared her throat, and took a deep breath. She tried to settle her mind and steady her heartbeat. They had agreed to remain friends, and she was trying to stick to that, more for his sake than hers.

Walter felt both relieved and disappointed when she turned her face away from his. He sighed and closed his eyes, falling asleep.

She remained awake for a while longer, acutely aware of how close they'd just come to crossing the line from friendship to more. But she already knew they were more than friends; she cared about him more than anyone, and she knew he felt the same about her. She closed her eyes to sleep, fingers still interlaced with Walter's.

I would love feedback, criticisms and all… So please review!